If you have ever wanted to try to make French macarons, look no further! These delicious and delicate little cookies aren’t nearly as difficult as you might think, and they’re so impressive once you get them right. Plus, we’re breaking down all of the steps in a super helpful video. And these strawberry cheesecake macarons in particular, are extra delicious. Happy macaron making!
I’ll be the first to admit that I have been totally intimidated by French macarons. They look so delicate and beautiful. But believe it or not, they are actually completely doable and delicious. You can make your own French macarons, and I’m here to tell you, you’ve got this! Â
Yep, that’s right – you can make your own French macarons, right from home; and with this incredible strawberry cheesecake macarons recipe, plus a handy video tutorial to go along with it, once you get the hang of making your own macarons, you might never go back to store-bought French macarons again.
Rachel of Sugar-Coated Inspiration is going to show you (literally, with an amazing little video) how to create your very own homemade French macarons.  She also went a step further and chose a totally amazing recipe to teach today’s macaron class:  strawberry cheesecake French macarons.
So let’s dive right in, shall we?
How to Make French Macarons
From Rachel: In my opinion, there’s nothing quite as impressive as homemade French Macarons – a cookie that is notoriously tricky to make. The main goal is to get that signature ridge, or “foot,” lining the bottom of the meringue cookie. (I literally shrieked the first time my macarons came out of the oven with feet.) However, after making them at home a few times (pretending to be a professional pastry chef), I’ve realized that these delicious & delicate little cookies aren’t nearly as difficult as I thought they’d be. And they’re so impressive once you get them right!
Before you get started, remember – French macarons are quite step intensive; however, they’re really, really fun to make and so rewarding once they’re finished! Don’t let the handful of steps deter you.
Also, French macarons are super delicious. Can’t forget that.
FUN UPDATE: Since making this recipe, we found this silicone macaron baking mat, which serves as a super helpful guide; the cavities make it extra easy to size your macaron shells. Use it on your baking pan. And don’t forget, once your macaron cookie batter is piped into the cavities, be sure to tap the pan hard on the counter to release any air bubbles. Leave them out to dry for up to an hour. (This is the magical trick that causes the cookies to rise up when baked, rather than spread out – creating the signature ridged “foot” around the edge of the macaron.)
Delicious Strawberry Cheesecake French Macarons
Strawberry Cheesecake French Macarons
Ingredients
- COOKIES
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 room temperature egg whites
- A pinch of salt
- ÂĽ tsp. cream of tartar
- ÂĽ cup granulated sugar
- Seeds from ½ of a vanilla bean
- FILLING
- 2 tbsp. salted butter
- 2 tbsp. cream cheese
- Âľ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Up to 3 tbsp. fresh strawberry puree (fresh strawberries, blended & strained)
Instructions
- Start by sifting together 1 cup of almond flour with 2 cups of powdered sugar. Make sure to use a fine sieve, any larger lumps of almond that make it into the batter will result in a macaron that’s a bit bumpy on top, rather than perfectly smooth.
- Once the dry ingredients are sifted, prepare the wet ingredients (you’re basically just whipping up a fluffy meringue!) Use a metal mixing bowl to whip up 3 room temperature egg whites. (For a shortcut to room temperature eggs, submerge them in warm water – in their shells – for 5 minutes.) As you beat the egg whites on high, add in a pinch of salt and the cream of tartar. Once the eggs begin to turn white and fluffy, you can slowly pour in the granulated sugar and add in the vanilla bean seeds. Continue to whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks on the end of the beaters (takes about 8-10 minutes total.)
- Now that the wet and the dry elements are ready, it’s time to combine them. This is where it gets a little tricky. Two spoonfuls at a time, add the powdered sugar/almond flour mixture into the whipped egg white mixture. Gently fold the dry into the wet, making sure to keep the egg whites fluffy – be sure to watch the video for proper technique. Continue folding the dry ingredients in until everything has been incorporated (takes approximately 70 folds, if you’re willing to count!)
- Load the macaron batter into a piping bag, fitted with a large round tip, and pipe out 40 evenly spaced 1-inch circles onto two parchment lined baking sheets (20 on each sheet). UPDATE: This silicone macaron baking mat serves as a super helpful guide; the cavities make it extra easy to size your macaron shells. Use it on your baking pan. Once your cookies are piped, be sure to tap the pan hard on the counter to release any air bubbles. Leave them out to dry for up to an hour. (This causes the cookies to rise up when baked, rather than spread out – creating the signature ridged “foot” around the edge of the macaron.)
- Preheat your oven to 300 F and, once the batter is no longer sticky to the touch, bake the macarons for 15-20 minutes. (Baking time can vary depending on your oven, so keep a close eye on them! If you can remove the cookies from the parchment without them sticking – they’re ready.) Also, be sure to cook each baking sheet separately to make sure that the heat is distributed evenly.
- As the macarons bake & cool, work on the strawberry cheesecake filling. Whip together the butter and cream cheese. Then, slowly incorporate the powdered sugar, until smooth. Finish with the vanilla extract & the fresh strawberry puree (add this in slowly, as well.) To make the fresh strawberry puree, simply blend around 5 -10 fresh strawberries, depending on how large they are, and then strain out the seeds. Use up to 3 tbsp. of the strawberry puree in the filling.
- Final step! Yay! Group the macarons together in pairs, based on similar size. Pipe a bit of the strawberry cheesecake filling onto every other vanilla bean macaron, and sandwich the pairs together.
Notes
NOTE:  Macarons are supposed to taste better over time, so if you’d like, refrigerate them for up to 48 hours before serving. Be sure to bring them back to room temperature before eating them, though!
Recipe Adapted via Entertaining with Beth
Did you know French Macarons are actually supposed to taste better over time? Our advice: refrigerate them for up to 48 hours before serving. Just be sure to bring them back to room temperature before eating them. I actually like mine a little cold – especially the fruit flavors.
There is also an awesome troubleshooting guide on Food Nouveau. (It has the solution to any problem you might encounter while making macarons!)
And we put together this ridiculously helpful video …
Video Music: Siesta (creative commons license)
Special thanks to Rachel of Sugar-Coated Inspiration for this amazing recipe and tutorial!
SHOP THE FRENCH MACARONS RECIPE POST | CLICK LEFT & RIGHT ARROWS TO EXPLORE
Love these amazing strawberry cheesecake French macarons? Head to our recipe page to check out what else we’re dreaming up in the kitchen!Â
Aaand, if you’re totally hooked on making your own macarons now – I mean, who could blame you? – check out our recipe for Oreo macarons! NOM.
Christina Storm says
Wow these look incredible! I need to attempt them one day!
The Style Storm
<3, Christina
Molly {Dreams in HD} says
these look so pretty and you did an absolutely fantastic job on the photography! i tried macarons once and not only did they take forever to make but to be honest they were a disaster. maybe this will give me the courage to try again 🙂
Alyssa // Runway Chef says
What an amazing video! It’s definitely inspired me to try making my own macarons at home…
Rachel says
Oh my! I love macarons but have never even seen a cheesecake flavor before! yummmm
ginette4 says
These would have been amazing to make this weekend for my daughter’s engagement party..thanks I’m pinning it for the next get together!
Tiffany of Just Another Shopaholic says
Cheesecake macarons!! Oh yum!
Sandy says
I just made these and they are AMAZING!! They taste so fresh and delicious! Definitely one of my new favorite macaron recipe now. Thank you for sharing!
kelly says
vDelicous recipe, very good, I’ll do any day
Louise says
Can I use vanilla extract instead of vanilla seeds?
Lexi says
Absolutely!